Windhoek
The Namibian Employers’ Federation (NEF) has questioned the practicality of the Employment Services Act, a new law requiring all employers with 25 or more staff to report job vacancies or new positions to the Employment Service Bureau (ESB) in the Ministry of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation.
“We are seriously concerned about the practical implications of the Act and how effectively it can and will run. Who will verify and authenticate CV’s and do reference checks? It is not clear as to who within the National Bureau will decide on the suitability of candidates to be referred to an employer. The evaluation of CV’s is not something that can be learned in a few days,” NEF Secretary General, Tim Parkhouse said.
The new law, which was gazetted on September 15, is intended to promote inclusivity and non-discrimination in job appointments in the country.
When announcing the new legislation, Minister of Labour, Industrial Relations and Employment Creation Errki Nghimtina noted that for advertised positions, the employer must report each vacancy at least 14 calendar days before the closing date for applications, while for non-advertised positions, the employer must report each vacancy at least 14 days before the intended date of filling the vacancy.
Meanwhile, Parkhouse also responded to sentiments that the new law will assist in employment creation. “We are sorry to say that this will not happen. If there is a vacancy anywhere it will be filled no matter whom or through what process. There will not be new vacancies created because of this Act,” remarked Parkhouse.
In addition, the NEF SG expressed concern over potential breaches of confidentiality should employers be able to access the ESB’s database. “It is not clear how the process will work for an employer to approach a potential candidate,” said Parkhouse.
According to the new law, when an employer reports a vacancy to the bureau, that information will immediately be made available to the Namibia Integrated Employment Information System (NIEIS) to be available to registered jobseekers throughout the country. The NIEIS already has over 50 000 jobseekers registered on its system.
“We fail to see how a low skilled person seeking employment will be contactable or seen to be suitable by a potential employer. In many larger companies there is frequently a process of internal movements, this being an integral part of staff retention and development. In the event of internal staff moves, which vacancy must be reported?” Parkhouse asked.
He further noted that the NEF is worried about the overall cost of administering the EBS. “Just think how many CV’s of job seekers should be on the database… 150 000 plus if one considers the public service which must be included… We are sure that this Act will hinder an efficient and rapid recruitment process within many businesses and indirectly will add to the overall cost of employment,” Parkhouse added.
However, despite doubts over its practicality, Parkhouse noted that the new Act is now law and he encouraged all designated employers to comply while giving assurances the NEF is committed to assisting the ministry to implement the new legislation.
“The NEF has been involved with the development of this piece of legislation since it was first mooted in 2010. We are pleased to see that many of the early problematic areas have been addressed and what is now tabled for implementation is considerably improved,” Parkhouse noted.